Iris is a Bad Liar
by Door Is Ajar
Summary: When Ash, Iris, and Cilan find themselves lost in the woods and are greeted by a storm, Iris is separated from the two. But what happens when she insists she's alright to the two who know her best?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I realize some parts of this story may seem pretty childish, but this is Pokemon we're talking about. In a way, I kind of had a hard time making sure it was somewhat childish and would fit the three characters.  
_

* * *

_"Iris is a Bad Liar!"_

"Thank again, Nurse Joy!" Ash called while the lady waved back and turned around to them as she headed to the main section of the building and out of the hallway. She then lowered her hand and looked forward to leave the three trainers alone and to tend to whatever other matters she had.

"I can't believe she had three empty rooms! How lucky are we?" Ash exclaimed to Iris and Cilan, who were doing nothing more than feeling the same excitement as Ash.

"Now we can sleep on an actual bed for once!" Cilan agreed, closing his eyes and bringing his hand together in front of his chest in an action of pure joy and excitement.

"I could go to sleep right now for that fact alone!" Ash continued. He then faced Iris, who he didn't realize hadn't said a word yet about their good luck or the relaxation this simple thing would bring. "Aren't you going to enjoy this, Iris?"

"Yeah. And so why don't we go to sleep right now then, if you're so excited for it, I mean." If it wasn't for the fact Ash and Cilan were pumped to finally spend the night in an air conditioned room tucked under soft sheets instead of the humid outdoors in a sleeping bag, they would have noticed, through the tired and worn down voice she carried, the reason she was so eager, as well.

"I can agree to that!" At that note, the other two heard Ash's stomach growl in a hint it was time to eat. They both made a cartoon-like sweat-drop and a strange face of laughter at how untimely he was.

"How about I whip something up real quick?" Cilan asked through his weird expression.

"You know, didn't Nurse Joy say something about a restaurant around here? We could just stop by there to get something quick," Iris suggested in her own way of saying, 'I don't want to wait on Cilan to cook, no matter how good it may be!'

"Yeah, you're right, Iris! Besides, I'm sure you could use a break from always cooking, Cilan!" Ash spoke. "Come on, I'm gonna beat you guys there!" Before either could complain, he was already running out of the center in search for the restaurant.

"We better go after him; he probably doesn't even know where it is," Cilan murmured, half to himself, half aloud, as he, too, began walking after the other boy.

Iris followed seconds after, sighing to herself before pulling a false expression of normality over herself. _"Let's get this over with..." _Exiting the center and turning left, she found herself walking only a few feet before being placed in front of a small building that she guessed was the one Ash and Cilan made their way into, considering it was decorated by a sign with a white coffee cup and seam coming out of it. Walking closer, the door opened up by itself and she spotted the two already sitting down in a booth of the left wall.

Ash looked up from his menu and saw Iris simply standing there, seemingly just looking at him. Deciding to slightly ignore the strange action, he called, "Iris! Over here!" and waved his hand in the air.

Cilan turned around from his seated position to look at her, also, as she made her way towards the two already seated. She slid into the seat next to Ash after he slid over to make room.

Seemingly on cue, a waiter appeared with a notepad to take their orders. Iris, however, seemed to be off in her own world, leaning back in the booth while struggling to keep her eyes open as she focused on what appeared to be a green button sewed into Cilan's booth to hold it together.

_"Iris... Iris!"_

Her eyes were almost completely closed when she heard her name being called. What struck her was she couldn't tell if it was her imagination or not. However, her mind was quickly brought back to reality when she felt her right side being shaken slightly.

"Iris, are you okay?" Her sluggish thoughts brought her head to the side to see who it was (although there _were_ only two people who could have done it) and was met by Ash, actually looking worried.

Giving a small sigh and closing her eyes in the process, she replied in a normal voice, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Sorry, about that," Iris said with a big grin as if to prove how well she was. "Now what were you saying?" she asked, facing the waiter.

"Oh, yes! What would you guys like to order?"

Smacking her forehead with her palm, Iris made a groaning sound. "How stupid of a question was that?"

Making a small, almost forced laugh to not make her feel so bad, Ash comforted, "Don't worry about it! I'm sure you've seen me do worse!"

"That _is_ true," Cilan simply replied with a slight genuine chuckle. "But why don't we order now? I'm sure we've wasted enough of his time."

"Alright. Can I get-" Before Ash could name anything (and probably everything) to fill his stomach, Cilan quickly and discretely kicked him under the table and started talking over him.

"Can all three of us just get water to drink and soup?" At that, the waiter gave a hesitant look the the green-haired boy before scribbling down the small order and running off to place it. When the waiter had disappeared into the kitchen, Ash rudely looked at Cilan.

"What was that for! I didn't-" Once again, Ash was halted from speaking, but by his own will. He noticed the finger Cilan placed over his mouth- what looked like a mock form of what teachers in kindergarten would do- and the serious look his friend gave him. Cilan then used his other hand to point beside Ash.

Looking to his left, Ash was shocked to see Iris with her back leaning deeply into the booth, her arms hugging her abdomen and her eyes closed in her sign of sleep. What made it a little frightening was the pained looked she gave off through her furrowed brows and occasion tightening she made around her stomach.

"Iris..." Ash spoke under his breath, taking in the picture he saw.

"What I wonder is how she's been staying on her feet..." Cilan questioned bringing his hand up to his chin like a detective in any movie you could see. "Don't you remember yesterday? It was pouring down, and we were pretty much lost in that forest. Sure left a foul taste in my mouth..."

"Right... And wait! Didn't Iris say something about it, too?" Ash asked, figuring out the details as the memory replayed itself in their minds.

_"And right when we get lost! Come on Ash, you wanted to look at the map, so why don't you tell us where we are?" Iris asked, the rain pouring down heavily on the three of them as their small protection granted from their backpacks gave little help from the massive streams the sky gave._

_"I can't read this! Here, Cilan, you figure it out!" Ash screamed back before shoving the piece of paper into his face._

_"We're already lost, Ash! Besides, right now we just need to get out of this rain before it gets worse!" Cilan's words must have angered the clouds, as the rain, which had been pouring buckets- began drowning them in barrel-loads._

_At that note, the three began running in what appeared to be a simple test of luck to find shelter. But their hopes cleared up as a cave came into view within minutes, and they continued their mad dash until they were deep inside away from the chilly rain._

_"Hey... Cilan..." Ash started as the two caught their breath._

_"Yeah?"_

_"W-Where's Iris?"_

_Cilan immediately shut his mouth, neither caring that their lungs begged for more oxygen. "S-She must have gotten separated from us..."_

_Forgetting about the fact they had just escaped the rain, the pair attempted to exit the cavern. However, their desires were quickly changed as the rain appeared to fall heavier and stronger, causing a waterfall-like picture from the inside._

_"I hate to say this, but I don't think we have a chance of finding her while it's pouring like this. Besides, Iris will probably be fine, considering she sleeps in trees," Cilan persuaded, attempted to do such to himself, as well, at the thought of leaving their companion out in the storm._

"I hate that we didn't go looking for her... I'm mean, she's probably sick right now because of that..." Ash mumbled, although he intended to speak to Cilan. Ash glanced up from his view on the tan table to Iris, his eyes easily giving away his sympathy. "We weren't stuck out in the rain long enough than to just get our clothes wet. Iris was out for so long..." Ash's last statements were nothing more than his thoughts being thrown to the wind. He then looked up at Cilan to see him still looking down at the bland table himself, obviously taking in every work Ash was saying as the pair longed to what had happened with Iris.

Ash then felt a slight pressure added to his side and looked back to see that Iris was leaning on him, slightly burrowing her head into his arm. Nothing you would associate with shock or confusion was shown in Ash's features, but his sympathy and remorse for her steadily grew, simply wanting her to wake up and feel better.

"After that, how long did it take for Iris to find us?" Ash asked, not taking his eyes off the girl.

"I thought it was about a half an hour." Ash cringed at the time, and he could see from the corner of his eyes Cilan's shoulders droop.

_"Cilan, if Iris doesn't find us soon, I'm going to go look for her," Ash suddenly announced, sitting the floor in the cave with his only remaining friend left sitting across on the other wall._

_Closing his eyes and letting out a sigh, Cilan spoke in reply, "Me, too. This is turning out to be one disgusting treat..."_

_Ash gave a small groan as he slightly slammed his head into the rock wall, copying Cilan's actions of closing his eyes and sighing. 'What could possibly of made her get lost? She was right beside us when we started running... And she doesn't run slow like a girl," Ash thought, refusing to think of the possibility that she was kidnapped. That conclusion, though, was easy to rid himself of; no one in their right mind would kidnap someone in the pouring rain when they would be at just as much of a disadvantage._

_The pair, as if the rain was granting them one piece of kindness, then heard Axew make a few small noises, like it was talking to someone. Both of their heads shot up to look outside the cave- still covered by the continuous downpour of the rain- and then the rest of their body followed suit, jumping up to greet who they hoped was just outside._

_They, however, were nearly bowled over as Iris raced inside the cave, Axew hugged against herself in protection, they assumed. She let the dragon Pokemon jump out of her grasp, which they figured was more for herself than the Pokemon, as she then placed her hands onto her knees and struggled to consume enough air. The strength to hold herself up even with that support seemed to be too much work, however, as she then sunk to her knees, coughing once before attempting to breath regularly again._

_It seemed to take forever for her to accomplish those actions but, in reality, took about ten seconds. Ash and Cilan were just too happy to see their friend alive, it seemed, as they raced over to her position a few feet away._

_"Iris, are you okay?" Ash instantly asked, watching her grip for her stomach._

_"Y-Yeah... Just..." Here she took a big gulp-full of air before continuing. "a little tired..."_

"When we woke up the next morning, she was shivering, wasn't she?" Cilan asked, only to be greeted by Ash nodding his head up and down. "The only reason I guessed was because she had your jacket laid over her when I woke up."

Ash didn't give a response, figuring that Cilan's statement was justification for why he would ask such a thing.

But, as if something smacked him upside the head, a thought crossed Ash's mind. "What are we doing? We don't need to be all down and depressed! We just need to get Iris better, that's all!" Ash spoke, not quite yelling in the hopes of not waking Iris up to be greeted by their conversation about herself.

Without giving Cilan a chance to reply, he gently started to shake Iris with his free hand, watching her face grimace slightly before opening her eyes to a blurry world like normal people wake up to.

"Where are we...?" she asked as she released herself from Ash unconsciously and laid back into the booth.

"We're in a restaurant. Um... Iris, I think we should go back to the Pokemon Center. You're... You're not feeling too well, are you?" Ash asked, wishing the sympathy that came into his voice would leave so as to feel strong for her.

They were surprised by her next actions, her eyes getting watery as her head moved up and down in an answer of yes.

"H-Hey now! Don't cry!" Ash fussed, slightly stretching his arms outward at her and shaking his hands in a stop signal.

"Ash!" Cilan reprimanded at the sight he witnessed. "That's no way to treat a lady!" Ash would have laughed or joked at the sudden return of Cilan's usual adult-like character if not for the situation.

"Alright, alright!" He stopped his cartoon-like hand motions and then directed his speaking to Iris. "Can you get up for just a second so I can get out?"

Iris again nodded her head up and down before exiting the seat, readying to sit back down once Ash was standing, before his voice stopped her. "Why don't we just go straight to the Pokemon Center? Come on, I'll even give you a piggy-back ride!" Ash commented with a smile, which Iris stared disbelievingly at before figuring he was being serious.

Ash lowed himself down for Iris to jump onto without upsetting her-by his guess- aching stomach. He felt her arms wrap around his neck, and he gripped her legs to hold her up. "Cilan, can you get all of our bags?" Ash asked, looking back at him.

"Sure," Cilan simply replied before grabbing the bags and following Ash out slowly. (As the automatic doors closed after them, the waiter appeared with a tray consisting of all their requested items, only to be greeted by an empty booth.)

Back outside, the three were continuing their slow walk to the center when Ash felt Iris's head press softly into his own. "And we still don't know why she got lost..." Ash mumbled to himself.

* * *

_Author's Note: If you guys think the food took forever to get out, I figured it, well... erm... really wouldn't, since flashbacks are longer than the actual time characters take to actually talk to one another about them. That's why they're in italics, so you know they're not saying every single word. XD_

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! I hope to write another chapter, but I have no idea when that'll be up. XD  
_


	2. Chapter 2

_"Iris is a Bad Liar!" Chapter 2_

Walking in through the automatic doors of the Pokemon Center, both Ash and Cilan were gracious for the lack of people, meaning none were there. Even Nurse Joy seemed to be away for the time being, doing something they weren't sure exactly what.

They sure didn't want to be questioned, with Ash carrying a girl on his back who looked unconscious and in pain. Add in the fact Cilan was slightly older than the two, and people might not greet the sight warmly.

"I still wish we had gone out to look for her..." Ash thought to himself as a moan escaped Iris while she dug her head into his back, by his guess a way to unsuccessfully ward off the pain.

The two then made their way to the hallway on the back wall, almost dragging their feet in the heavy atmosphere the whole room seemed to carry. Looking on both sides of the narrow corridor, they searched first for Cilan's room, where he flung their three bags inside before searching for Iris's room number, finding a wooden sign reading "5" and entering.

"Can you get the lights?" Ash asked, entering the small room after Cilan.

The two were greeted by a simple room: tan walls, a wooden bed on the left wall, a window on the back wall in the center covered by brown curtains, a dresser on the right wall, and a door beside the dresser that they remembered Nurse Joy stating lead to a bathroom with a shower, toilet, and sink.

Cilan walked in front of Ash and reached the bed, pulling the white covers down to the bottom. Ash followed, gently laying Iris onto the soft mattress. She seemed to enjoy the plush material herself, it showing as her head rested on the white pillow, her left arm beside her head, and her right arm casually laying over her stomach. No sign of pain showed to either boy. But that was when they noticed the red streak under her eyes and across her nose. Her mouth remained ajar, and Ash would have laughed as it opened further for air to enter and closed slightly to breath out if not for the fact she normally didn't sleep like that. Meaning, to him, she had to have something more than a stupid cold.

He stared at her hard for a few moments before making up his mind. He shook her left arm slightly with a, what would appear to be, determined grin on his face. (What was there to be determined about? He wasn't sure himself, but he figured it was brought on by his need to wake her up.)

Cilan opened his mouth to protest, but Iris cut him off as she moaned slightly before opening her eyes. Her vision was blurry yet again and looked above her to see three- then one- Ash and three- then one- Cilan.

"Iris, what happened when you got separated from us in the forest?" Ash asked suddenly, somewhat scaring Cilan.

"H-Hey, Ash. Hehe..." Iris started with a smile, (She knew she had done something she shouldn't have by her forced laugh.) re-closing her eyes to stop the world around her starting to spin. "I, um... Got lost...?" She swallowed thickly before the small smile on her face drooped and she groaned, hugging her stomach once again at the pain that appeared once again.

"We know that isn't true," Ash stated, his tone harsh, before it turned caring as he continued. "Just tell us what happened. We want to help."

The sincerity must have gotten through, which caused Iris to open one eye to make sure he wasn't fooling her with his voice. "I started to follow you two... But then Axew... He jumped..." She stopped talking for a second, curling in on herself and moaning as a wave of pain washed over her momentarily. "He... He jumped out of my grasp... and went the other direction..."

"So we know why you weren't with us now, at least," Cilan pointed out, happy with the quick turnout of answers.

"Then what happened?" Ash asked, already engulfed by the story.

"I chased after him! What else do you want!" Iris attempted to scream through her grimaced face, only giving a moan afterwards to show herself what a bad idea that was.

A look of helplessness became evident on Ash's face- although he had to admit that before she proved all by herself that screaming was a bad idea, he would have screamed back- and he got down on his knees, placing his bottom on the back of his legs to get seated. "You can't be this sick from only staying in the rain. What else happened?" The 'too sincere' voice returned, which made it hard for Iris to keep the information from her two friends.

With a sigh, she continued. "He... He ran for a while but eventually bumped into a Scolipede... And it... well... attacked..." Ash and Cilan could feel a pit grow in their stomach, both gulping like in a television show at the possible outcome she could produce. But Iris then uncoiled herself, laying straight on the bed on her back once more and putting one arm across her forehead and another across her mid-section. She laughed a little before finishing without Ash having to force her.

"Axew was about to be hit. I think it was Poison Tail... Yeah, 'cause its tail glowed purple. Anyway, I grabbed him, but I couldn't get out in time. So I just... you know... turned around, and it hit my back," She gave another small laugh, knowing that one of the two was going to scold her for doing such a thing and hoping she could get off the hook.

She didn't bother opening her eyes, though. Granted her pain wasn't that great at the moment, which was why she wasn't curled into a ball, moving made every fiber of her body ache.

However, Ash freaking out like mimicked in a cartoon scared the living day-lights out of her.

"Iris, you're poisoned! You need an antidote!" At that she shot up at his sudden shouting, her eyes snapping open but quickly closing once again while gripping her stomach from the sudden movement.

"Ash, calm down!" Cilan commanded, placing both his hands onto Ash's shoulders to stop his friend.

"A-Ash, b-be quiet..." Iris stuttered, now shaking from her sitting position on the bed.

Their friend just couldn't catch a break, it seemed, from all the symptoms piling up.

"Cilan, don't you have some antidote in your bag?" Ash asked, looking up.

With a nod, the green-haired boy quickly left the room to get the requested item. Once he was out of sight, Ash stood up and sat beside Iris, making sure he wouldn't upset her or her stomach.

"Iris, how have you not passed out yet...?" Ash softly spoke and not making eye contact with her.

She simply shrugged her shoulders and mumbled an "I don't know..."

Something as simple as that, however, seemed to be enough for Ash, as he got back off the bed and placed his hands on her shoulders, laying her down onto the bed and covering her up with the white cover. "You're going to get better then," he proudly spoke, an actual smile on his face.

Iris herself smiled at his tone and then started murmuring just loud enough for Ash to hear. "T-This is all y-you're fault, you know." Ash was taken aback by that comment, and he was prepared to shout, 'How's this my fault?' when Iris continued. "I-I'm sorry."

For what? She could be, however, blaming Axew for running away. But she continued even further. "Y-You're such a kid, you know... Worrying about me like I'm going to die..." She laughed a little at the end and turned onto her side facing Ash, attempting to remain awake while the peacefulness of the pillow and sleep seemed too inviting to skip out on.

Ash, though, returned to the comedic side of him that obviously couldn't be kept down long for the life of him. "You're the kid for getting hit like that. I know that I would have been able to both save Pikachu and myself if that happened to me." He laughed after his meaningless (although he hoped it would cheer her up somehow) words.

"Ash..." Iris started, wanting him to acknowledge her before continuing.

"What?"

"W-Where's C-Cilan with the medicine?" she asked, attempting to get warmer by digging further into the blanket where her mouth and nose were covered.

'Speak of the devil, and he shall come' is how the saying goes, and it proved to be true as Cilan walked through the door carrying the antidote and a cup of water. He shut the door behind him with his foot and walked over to the two of them, waiting for Ash to wake Iris up, as that was what it appeared to him.

"Iris, Cilan's got your medicine," Ash spoke, knowing that she would be awake and ready to gulf the stuff down.

Instead, all he got in reply was a moan and her movements to dig her face, nose and under, below the blanket more.

He expected her to open her eyes and sit up, preparing for what he knew she would be embarrassed about later: them spoon-feeding her the junk. "Come on, Iris! You have to take it if you want to get better!" Ash persisted, spreading his arms out in exasperation. (He was simply full of mimicking cartoons this evening it seemed.)

He must have annoyed her enough already because she pulled down the blanket and opened her eyes to them. They both had to hold in a gasp as to not frighten her, but her eyes were glossed over and the red streak across her nose looked darker, if that was possible.

"I-I'm alright..." As if to prove her point, she stood up on wobbly legs. "See? I..." She cut herself off as her legs gave way and she, by surprise by both Ash and Cilan, fainted. Cilan nearly dropped the cup of water and antidote in an attempt to catch her, and Ash, somehow that he's not even sure of, caught her.

Ash looks at Cilan, and the pair sighs in relief. "This sure is an undesirable flavor..." Cilan mummers in his food jargon as Ash gently lays Iris back onto the bed and covers her up to her stomach, which is when he is interrupted with only one eye open and a small smirk on her face.

"I-I'm kind of hot now. Can you not p-put that on me all the w-way..." Truth be told, he figured the darker streak across her face would imply that her fever had risen and she, in the same sense, got warmer.

At that, her eye closed, and he could see her body physically relax into the material. "So you're alright, you said..."

* * *

_Author's Note: So... did anyone like this chapter? I'm really not sure whether or not I do. It's almost half the number of words (1911 words) as the last chapter, and my brain went dead. Seriously, between this chapter and the last, I couldn't bring up any words from my vocabulary that isn't full of only baby words. On top of that, the story's gotten just about no where. XD I kept trying to figure out where to add in certain things, but none of it seemed to fit. So I've haven't gotten there yet... These little bits that pretty much occupied this entire chapter are what I used in an attempt each time to bring in the semi-resolution. But they all failed, and they all just added up into this chapter that you just read. XD  
_

_Any-who, I think there may be only one more chapter or else I'm just prolonging Iris's misery. XD I think I'm gonna add a lot of flashbacks, though, so the the word count will jump on that. So, there may be two more. I'm not sure. I don't plan well. :I XD I hope you enjoyed, and please review, so I know what to improve on or even what you liked! :)_


	3. Chapter 3

_"Iris is a Bad Liar!" Chapter 3_

"Now that she's asleep, I'll get all of our Pokemon from Nurse Joy. Would you like me to stay with them in our two rooms, hopefully to keep them away from Iris?" Cilan asked in a hushed tone, obviously to not already awaken the sleeping girl.

"Yeah, that's a great idea Cilan! I forgot about them!" Ash said with an effect that he, too, was speaking in a hushed tone sporting his enthusiasm in his idea.

The green-haired boy quietly left the room, slowly closing the door to avoid any possibility of slamming it shut. Ash then returned to his position from earlier, sitting on the back of his legs and staring at the girl.

She almost looked peaceful, and he was sure she would appear to be in complete bliss if the lights were off, masking the few signs of ailments she had. For starters, the dark red streak that laid across her face instantly gave away the fever she had, which he assumed came both from the rain and the poison. The second was how he could easily see her mouth open and close, as if she had a problem breathing otherwise. Then was the final give-away: the new movement she made of positioning herself to face Ash on her side, gripping the pillow with both of her hands.

"I should wake her up... She needs to take the medicine Cilan brought..." Ash thought, looking at the dresser on the right wall to see a bowl and a spoon sitting on top and figuring it was the same junk Cilan gave him when he was attacked by a Venipede under the sewers.*

However, he decided against it; she refused to take it mere minutes after first being excited to take the disgusting stuff once she was fully situated and, by his guess, too sick to her stomach to want to move anymore than required.

After about an hour of doing nothing but sitting and watching- painfully watching, not because it was boring but because of her grimaces and occasional moans of discomfort- Ash had lost himself in thought. The only thing that would bring him out of it, and instantly at that, was any sound he heard from Iris, who he was sure would need some kind of assistance once she woke up.

_"Ash, has Iris ever acted remotely like this before?" Cilan questioned with a look of doubt on his face, turning to face Ash to watch Iris continue her struggle to stop the aching in her abdomen, as show by her forehead being dug into Ash's back._

_"Not from what I remember. We didn't travel long before we met up with you, though. So I'm not sure before that," Ash replied but not looking at the boy, only watching to make sure he put his feet down carefully and trying to ignore the almost burning pressure Iris was putting on him._

_They continued to walk on in silence, but Ash almost stopped in his tracks when he felt the material right below the front of his neck stiffen and the girl he was carrying give an almost inaudible sound that he knew came from restricting the urge to scream. He looked down, somewhat awkward, to his chest to see Iris's hands gripping his jacket, pulling it into bunches with each hand. It eventually loosened and he heard Iris release an almost content sigh, telling him without words that the pain from her stomach had stopped hurting so harshly for the time being._

_"She's just sick... She was out in the freezing rain without any protection. She's never acted like this before because she's had no reason to..." Ash slowly spoke, almost as if muttering to himself at how low it was, but never making eye-contact with Cilan. Instead he bore his eyes into the ground around Cilan' feet that would lead the three of them to the Pokemon Center.  
_

It couldn't be closer to the truth. She was just purely sick, and nothing besides waiting and taking care of her could fix that. When Ash looked up at a clock he just recently realized was hanging above Iris's bed, he saw the hands on 7:16, and no other guess was better than his in saying Iris had been sick for over a day.

"I should have seen it earlier... It wasn't like there was no indication at all!" Ash spoke to himself, by now having made his way to lean his back against the dresser in some form of comfort.

_"Hey, Iris, you coming?" Ash asked, looking back at her._

_They had spent the night sleeping in the cave, and then they decided to leave after a small breakfast, which consisted of everything not ruined by the rain seeping into their backpacks. (Although Ash was a little frightened when he woke up to Iris snuggled into his back, he knew it was simply not normal, especially since she even slept in tress away from both Cilan and himself. That already should have answered his original question behind the one spoken aloud, being "Hey, why are you so slow, Iris?")_

_"Y-Yeah! I'm coming!" she quickly replied, her attention, which had been focused on anything else besides her two friends, returning to Ash as she replied and began running to catch up._

_"Geez, Iris, this isn't like you; sure is a- What would Cilan say?- different taste for my mouth!" Ash joked, bursting out laughing at the end as Cilan's face slightly turned red from the embarrassment just dealt his way._

_"Well, quite frankly it is..." he mumbled, scratching his cheek with his pointer finger and looking away at the both of them._

_To his benefit, although he didn't know, Iris didn't hear a word. At least, clearly, that is, as her eyes drifted between being unfocused and focused since she forced herself to walk after the two and caused her to nearly trip and fall by means of her own two feet. Actually, for more clarity, she struggled to not fall. And then she did, shielding her head away from the impact first by pushing her arms in front and her face to the side. She then met with the earth, not even bothering to try and stand up. The dirt felt good in some senses, anyway..._

_"Iris!"_

_"Iris, are you alright" Ash called after Cilan, both in shock at what they actually didn't see._

_"I-I'm fine..." she mumbled and hoped they heard with the lack of voice she gave to the response._

_Ash and Cilan were then at her sides, lifting her up by her arms back to her feet. They both noticed she looked a little dazed but shook it off as an excuse for just falling straight into dirt. (One thing they were appreciative for was the thicker foliage, making the ground less wet than about anywhere else; but that also seemed to only peak their interest with there being no reason for her to slip on wet ground._

"Ash," He heard Iris speak from her place still laying on the bed.

He looked up and noticed she had a tiny smile on her face along with a (which he didn't think matched with a smile) foggy look in her eyes.

"I was the one who hid it from you two, so don't get all upset about it. Just... relax and... go to sleep..." Ash could tell she was fighting to stay awake, but sleep won her over. But that idea made Ash jump to his feet, back at the side of her bed and shaking her.

"Iris... Iris, wake up!" he screamed in a hushed tone (however that is possible), and stopped when her eyes opened back up.

"Hm?" she asked through a closed mouth, looking up towards his face.

"You need to take your medicine, and-" Ash was cut off as Iris closed her eyes yet again and moaned.

"But Ash, it hurts to move..." This was another moment he would have laughed at if not for the pure seriousness the whole ordeal carried.

"You remember when I was attacked and poisoned, right? I passed out not even a minute after being poisoned, and the Pokemon was two stages below the one you just got hit by! You need to take this Antidote that Cilan brought; you know it'll make you feel better," Ash attempted to persuade.

It took a few seconds, but she eventually answered, "Okay..."

Ash walked back over to the dresser and grabbed the two items off the top, being careful not to drop the liquid now that he finally made Iris agree to take it. He then sat down on the edge of her bed, placing the cup of water onto the floor so as to not drop it, and dug the spoon into the white substance, pulling one glob out of it.

He didn't have to say a word, figuring he might do something rash or stupid and cause her to dig her way out of taking it. He was right to do so as she sat up with a grimace she was trying to mask through squinting one eye and holding her stomach so hard Ash figured it would pop.

Ash mimicked what she was to do, opening his own mouth and then closing it, causing her to smile and himself to laugh at his stupidity. "What a kid..." he heard her mumble with a grin not leaving her face. But, the dumbness of his actions proved to be somewhat useful because she opened her mouth like instructed and let him put the Antidote into her mouth.

"It shouldn't have a taste, I don't think," Ash confirmed while Iris swallowed the first bit without any complaint. He dug the spoon into the small bowl again and offered her the foul smelling- Didn't things have to taste bad to smell bad?- medicine for her to take what he guessed was all she needed. (He did only take one or two himself when Cilan had to give it to him.)

He picked back up the water and handed it to Iris, who had no reason to rush in drinking the liquid.

"Go back to sleep, you should be fine in the morning now that you took that," Ash whispered as he could already see her eyes getting droopy. Maybe that was what made it smell bad; did Cilan put something in Iris's that he didn't put in Ash's?

"Okay..." Ash stood up after grabbing the empty cup from Iris and set the two items, the spoon inside the bowl, on top of the dresser once more. "Good night, Ash..." He heard it, no matter how tired it was, but it was full of bliss. If it wasn't for the fact she probably knew she would be knocked unconscious until tomorrow morning, he would have thought she said it just to show how much in bliss she already was. Maybe Cilan could work miracles, curing both her poison and somehow the ailments of her cold...

Ash looked back to her, seeing her laying on her side facing him with one hand resting lightly on the pillow beside her head and a smile on her face. The red mark ruined the picture-perfect image for him, but knew it would disappear by tomorrow like the Antidote should do. With a smile himself, he softly spoke, "Good night, Iris..." before he turned off the light and settled down with his back to the dresser.

* * *

_Author's Note: You'll notice the asterisk right here:"...him when he was attacked by a Venipede under the sewers." That's from an actual episode, so... just if you were wondering why I would shove something random (if you don't watch the show) like him also getting attacked._

_Just to let your guys know, I'm not into that romance stuff. That's why you'll notice I didn't put any shippings on the story description. XD I'm weird that way, yes, I know, especially if I'm going to write something that can be all lovey-dovey like this._

_Now onto the regular stuff: Please enjoy and review! I want to know what I can improve on and what I nailed or even just what your favorite part was! XD I like getting reviews, even if they just say, "This part [Insert Part] was so kawaii~!" XD But I plan to make one more chapter before doing another story on Pokemon with Ash, Iris, and Cilan._


	4. Chapter 4

_"Iris is a Bad Liar" Chapter 4_

"Ash... Ash..."

"Go away..." Ash thought, not empowered enough to even speak to whoever- or whatever- was bothering him. However, something clicked into his brain when he recognized the voice to belonged to Iris, and he shot up like a bullet. His back ached from sleeping on the dresser's hard wood, but what if Iris was still sick? Granted he would be upset for having to wait around another day before he could continue traveling, something like this he was sure neither he nor Cilan could ignore.

At first he believed she was right in front of her face, but she proved to be still laying on the bed, on her stomach, and facing him like last night. "Ash, what time is it?" she asked him, lazily staring at him.

"Uh...6:50," he replied after looking at the clock above her head.

"Okay... Hey, um, Ash?" She seemed a little hesitant to speak, but he had no idea why.

"Hm?" Ash asked without opening his mouth, standing up to stretch while doing so.

"Thanks for last night."

That was a surprise. Sure, he did something nice, but they were friends; and her getting sick wasn't her fault! Besides, he was sure he would have done the same thing if Pikachu was attacked like her Axew was.

So he laughed it off, saying, "Don't worry about it!" He finished stretching and then walked over to her, looking down at her to see if she was truly alright. "So are you feeling better?"

"Yeah; to be honest, I'm a little tired, though... Did Cilan put something in that?" she asked while looking up at Ash, not moving like he had done earlier.

"I think so. At least, that's what I believe. When he gave it to me, I didn't get knocked unconscious like you." Ash laughed again, and Iris smiled in her form of laugh.

Iris sat up afterwards and surprised herself when the pain in her stomach was only a small, dulled feeling, barely something she could feel. "I'm sorry about last night, though. I didn't cooperate at all; I just complained about everything," Iris apologized as Ash sat down on the bed next to her.

"If I was in your situation, I don't think you would have been able to tolerate my complaining." Ash was just full of jokes to deteriorate the gloomy feelings Iris created from her thanks and apologies. "But if you do want me to have some form of compensation, I'll go tell Cilan all about how you were so comfy sleeping next to me in the cave." He laughed yet again with his innocent-minded joke, and Iris caught on to the same carefree sense of it.

"Did I really do that?" Iris then asked, laughing at herself in the process.

"Sure did! Although Cilan knew, to tell the truth. He just figured that since you usually slept with Axew and you had it in its PokeBall, you mistook me for Axew." That seemed to clear the air around Iris's slight discomfort about being so rude to her friend.

"Besides, you were cold and hot throughout the entire time you were sick; you were probably just cold at that time and body heat would make you less cold. Look at it either way you want, but it's not your own fault." Ash smiled at her with that goofy little innocent smile of his, and Iris could do nothing but believe him, no matter how much of a kid he was.

* * *

_Author's Note: You might hate me, but, whatever: I could have posted this a little over a week ago, but I wanted to add more. However, nothing came to me. At all. So this small ending is all I have to give you as the ending of this short whatever you wanna call it. :D_


End file.
